Televised British and Italian heterotopic afterlives : Back mirror and La porta rossa

Abstract

This paper discusses the representation of spaces inhabited by spectral characters in the British series Black Mirror, specifically in the episodes entitled "Be Right Back" and "San Junipero", and in the first season of the Italian production Laporta rossa. While at first glance the two tv serials may appear as significantly different in terms of plot and style, a deeper look at the otherness that imbues the fictional places in which the narrative unfolds reveals an underlying similarity. This otherness is unearthed using Michel Foucault's theoretical notions on heterotopias as outlined in the essay "Of Other Spaces" combined with key concepts taken from studies on spectrality. The analysis identifies a link between supernatural ghosts and technological spectres in their ability to simultaneously reflect and inform our collective imagination and popular culture. The portrayal of spaces suspended between the familiar and the unknown are a primary way in which this influence is exerted and inevitably lead the viewers to question the ontological essence of humankind.